Rebirth: My Childhood Sweetheart Came into My Arms

"Madam, I saw it for sure. Young Master Jiang put Young Master He's hand in his pocket and touched his face."

Aunt Jiang stood straight in front of Shen Murou, making a solemn vow.

Shen Murou frowned as she looked at the short video on her phone.

In the video, Jiang Chengyu and He Ziyu are standing very close, but because the filming distance is relatively far, their little actions are not very clear. It would be fine to say that they are just playing around normally.

"They've known each other since they were very young and used to play around a lot. This video doesn't prove anything."

"That's true, but madam, I always feel..."

"I'm a little thirsty, go make me some hot tea."

Shen Murou casually made up an excuse to send her aunt away, and then held her phone, lost in thought.

Because she was worried about the children, she asked the housekeeper to come and help with cooking, and specifically instructed her to keep a close eye on Jiang Chengyu and report any problems to her immediately.

Unexpectedly, the auntie gave a very big report.

She said that Jiang Chengyu and He Ziyu seemed strange.

She said there might be problems in their relationship.

Shen Murou didn't take it to heart at first. After all, those two brats had known each other since before they started elementary school. It was normal for her not to know how good their relationship was since she hadn't witnessed their growth.

It wasn't until her aunt took out her phone, showed her the secretly filmed video, and told her the details that she began to suspect something was wrong.

Jiang Chengyu has indeed been getting very close to He Ziyu lately, spending almost every day after school together. Although it's supposed to be tutoring, the frequency is a bit too high.

She also recalled the last time she invited He Ziyu to dinner, when He Ziyu confidently assured her that Jiang Chengyu didn't have a girl he liked at school, and even went on to talk about some theory of human nature and freedom.

Could it be because of the two of them...?

No, it's impossible.

His son couldn't possibly be that kind of person.

Shen Murou forcibly dismissed this terrible thought and called her husband, Jiang Guosheng.

"Guosheng, Lao Han and the others are going back to China these next couple of days. Could you spare some time for the four of us to have a meal together?"

……

The week-long blitz quickly came to an end.

On the day of the exam, Zhou Ying, as usual, gave each of her two children a fried dough stick and two eggs, symbolizing a score of "100".

"Mom, now we get more than 100 points in each subject. If we actually get 100, we'll barely pass," He Ziyu muttered as he stuffed a whole egg into his mouth.

"That's the gist of it. Otherwise, if it's based on the total score, you'll have to eat several more fried dough sticks and you'll be stuffed to death before the exam even starts."

"That's true."

After finishing breakfast, He Ziyu confidently got into the driver's car.

After waiting for a while, He Ningqiu slowly came out and sat in the back seat.

Ever since his father reprimanded and lectured He Ningqiu, the guy has become quieter and more withdrawn. It's also possible that his father's explicit prohibition against him seeing Lan Yuan has caused his social circle to shrink dramatically, and he has returned to his reclusive life.

"I heard the two young masters are taking exams today. This is nougat that my wife made. Please have a taste, and I wish you good luck on your exams."

The driver handed out the beautifully packaged candies to He Ziyu and He Ningqiu.

He Ningqiu said thank you, but her face remained expressionless.

He Ziyu saw his gloomy expression in the rearview mirror and felt a mix of emotions.

In fact, he and He Ningqiu had a very happy time in their past life.

At that time, He Ningqiu treated him very well, and he trusted He Ningqiu very much, treating him as his closest younger brother and a friend with whom he could talk about anything. He would think of him first whenever he encountered any difficulties, and even placed him in a higher position than Jiang Chengyu and Jing Ran.

Especially after his mother passed away, his longing for family affection became particularly strong, and he felt that He Ningqiu was the closest person to him in the world besides his father.

However, this very person whom he treated with utmost sincerity was ultimately taken to his old house by someone filled with gasoline out of hatred and jealousy, and burned alive, leaving him crippled.

Many nights after his rebirth, He Ziyu wondered if He Ningqiu had ever had even the slightest bit of genuine affection for him in his previous life.

When he hears his own desperate cries and sobs in the fire, will he regret it?

When he imitated Jiang Chengyu's handwriting to give him hope, and then appeared at the sanatorium with Lan Yuan to make him completely despair, did you feel heartache?

He Ziyu desperately wanted to know the answer, but unfortunately, when he chose to jump off the high building, the question became an unsolvable mystery.

Looking at the thin, pale-faced boy in the rearview mirror, who was holding a nougat candy and resting with his eyes closed, He Ziyu sighed almost imperceptibly.

He Ningqiu is still young and may not have the intention to kill him yet, but he still cannot forgive him.

What has happened has happened.

Jiang Chengyu's departure, his mother's departure, and his own departure.

All of this is inextricably linked to He Ningqiu and Xiao Shan.

He is not a saint and cannot forgive such a person. Even if he has not yet reached the point of being utterly wicked in this life, the hatred in his heart cannot be erased.

However, even so, He Ziyu still held onto a sliver of hope.

I hope that in this life, He Ningqiu can also be like him, taking different paths and getting closer and closer to a better place.

Then, he will live his own life, severing all ties with himself and never having any further contact with him.

This is the best ending.

……

Upon arriving at school, He Ziyu shared nougat with his friends and quickly reviewed the key points in the last few minutes.

After the school bell rang, the students gradually threw their schoolbags to the back of the classroom.

The midterm exams at No. 8 Middle School weren't very strict. The exam rooms weren't divided by class; the seats were spaced far apart, and the desks were simply rotated, and that was it.

A short while later, Bao Yuan entered the classroom with her test paper.

"Ayu, remember to move your paper to the side during the exam, and write your answers in larger letters for the multiple-choice questions..." Jingran said in a low voice, covering his mouth with his hand.

He Ziyu: "Your revision was pretty good, wasn't it? If you put in the effort, you should be able to pass the Chinese exam."

Upon hearing this, Jingran clicked her tongue and said, "Oh, I just... I just wanted those little pink ones."

Good grief, you haven't forgotten about Little Pink yet.

"I don't know who it was, but they said before that pink stuff is nothing compared to sleeping."

"It was indeed a fart at first, but then they announced a limited release, so its value is completely different now."

The "little pink" that Jingran mentioned is a pair of sneakers he's been eyeing recently. Because it's a collaboration with a star athlete and a limited release, it's not cheap, costing around two thousand yuan.

Before the exam, Jing's mother said that as long as he passed one subject, she would pay for the shoes.

This requirement seems so easy to outsiders, but it is quite difficult for Jingran. After all, he had always been at the bottom with He Ziyu before, and it had been so long that it was ingrained and couldn't be removed.

"He Ziyu, Jingran, don't get distracted," Bao Yuan called out their names.

He Ziyu quickly sat up straight and neatly arranged the stationery.

When the test papers were handed out to him, he took his own, turned around, and handed the last one to Jiang Chengyu.

Just as Jiang Chengyu was about to reach out to take it, He Ziyu pulled it back, then, taking advantage of everyone's inattention, kissed the test paper and threw it onto his desk.

Jiang Chengyu's ears turned slightly red as she spread the test paper out on the table.

He Ziyu chuckled and turned around, then heard Jiang Chengyu behind him say in a gentle voice, "Ayu, good luck."

A word of encouragement boosted He Ziyu's confidence.

He quietly raised his left hand and gave Jiang Chengyu an "OK" sign with his back to her.

……

Soon, the exam bell rang, and the students in the class picked up their pens and began writing diligently.

The classroom was quiet, with only the rustling sound of paper scratching. He Ziyu concentrated intently, going through the easy questions first, and then tackling the ones he couldn't answer after finishing all the others.

During the halftime break, Bao Yuan came down to check on everyone's answers. When she walked over to He Ziyu, she smiled with satisfaction.

The essay topic this time was "The Invisible Sunlight," and because the central idea is quite broad, it's easy to go off-topic.

But what He Ziyu was writing was closely related to the theme, with mature word choice and sentence structure, and deep emotion. There were a few lines that almost brought Bao Yuan to tears.

After a while, she couldn't help but gently pat He Ziyu's head.

Class 7 was at the bottom of the grade, and as the homeroom teacher, she was under more pressure than anyone else. She dreamed that the children could make her proud. Now, seeing He Ziyu working so hard and even bringing his friends along, she felt gratified from the bottom of her heart.

After the morning exams ended, He Ziyu felt a weight lifted off his shoulders.

The students in the class went to eat one after another, and the classroom quickly became empty.

"I don't think I answered that question about the impact of economic globalization completely. Yu-ge, could you recite it again? I'll see how many I missed..."

"Hey, Yu, the exams are all over, can't you just give me a break!"

Jingran looked at He Ziyu, who was hunched over Jiang Chengyu's desk, relentlessly asking questions, and felt like crying.

"Wait a little longer, I'll ask this last question."

"It's all in the textbook, you can just go back and look at it again... Ugh, how did you get in here? You can't just wander into other classes at school, get out, get out!"

Before Jingran could finish speaking, she saw Beiyao carrying something into the classroom. She quickly puffed out her chest and shooed him out.

"Hey, isn't this our Discipline Inspection Department Minister, Little Lightning? Quite the official air about you." Bei Yao grinned, hooking his arm around his shoulder, then glanced at He Ziyu and Jiang Chengyu. "What are you doing standing here? Don't you think you're powerful enough?"

Jingran: "You're so annoying."

Bei Yao: "I'm not annoyed at all. In fact, I'm in a pretty good mood. Come on, let's go out for some fresh air."

Before Jingran could speak, Beiyao dragged him out of the classroom like a chick and shoved him into a corner.

Jingran pressed herself against the corner of the wall, subconsciously pursing her lips.

Is this guy going to kiss him again? We're at school!

"Today is the day you ate my 88th chicken leg. To celebrate, this is for you." Bei Yao smiled slightly and stuffed the thing in his hand into his arms.

Jingran looked down into the paper bag and froze instantly.